Columbus Police pepper-sprayed protesters Thursday night after a Lime scooter was thrown at police. Credit: Max Garrison | Asst. Campus Editor
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther addressed the city in a tweet Sunday about police interaction after videos circulated across social media of Columbus Police using pepper spray and shooting wooden pellets at protesters downtown Saturday.
Ginther acknowledged that some of Columbus Police’s actions Saturday were “aggressive,” and that “the goal is to find a better balance between public safety and peaceful protest.”
The response follows three days of protests in the city and across the country over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody Monday after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck while he was handcuffed to the ground for several minutes.
Ginther also said the city will “work more swiftly to bring about change and reform.”
Protests have continued in Columbus for a fourth day Sunday with demonstrators located at the Ohio Statehouse and additional groups marching downtown. The citywide curfew continues to be in effect from 10 p.m. Sunday to 6.am. Monday.
It has been a tough few days, #Columbus. I hear you. I feel your pain. Some of what we saw yesterday from @ColumbusPolice was aggressive. We are proactively addressing these incidents.
— Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) May 31, 2020
